RED HORSE squadrons dedicate Unity Park

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joe McFadden
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Nearly 100 red-capped 823rd and 556th RED HORSE Airmen and civilians gathered for a memorial park dedication ceremony at the 823rd RED HORSE compound at Hurlburt Field May 5.

The RED HORSE Unity Park - "Where the Legacy Lives Forever" - is meant to both honor the memory of the squadrons' fallen Airmen as well as serve as a testament to total force integration between active-duty and Reserve Airmen.

"This was a joint project and a time when both squadrons - active-duty and Reserve - all worked hard together," said Col. Franklin Myers, commander of 556th RED HORSE. "We used this as a great training venue, and the squadrons came together for something that is going to be here for a long time."

The park, located next to 823rd RED HORSE squadron headquarters, is complete with a horseshoe-shaped brick structure encompassing a flagpole and a red horse statue.

Each end of the horseshoe represents the 556th and 823rd squadrons and bears the names of nine Airmen who lost their lives while assigned to their respective squadron.

Construction spanned nearly six months of designing and building. More than 90 Airmen from both squadrons carried out nearly 200 core tasks that culminated in more than 6,000 work hours to finish.

"From looking out my window over the last few months, I thought it was great to see 556th and 823rd RED HORSE working together on this," said Col. Douglas Hardman, commander of 823rd RED HORSE. "Somewhere down the road, we'll deploy together, and the bonds we've built today will carry forward into the future."

After being coined for his contribution as park designer, Senior Airman Josh Fickert, an engineering assistant to 556th RED HORSE and park designer, reflected on the work that he and his fellow Airmen finished.

"To see it finally built is just great," Fickert said. "We've left a footprint at this squadron for everyone to come out and enjoy. It's an honor."

Master Sgt. Brian Barnes, a cantonment deployment specialist for 556th RED HORSE and park project manager, remarked that, while the integration between the two squadrons was integral to its success, they shared a deeper purpose to seeing the park to completion.

"The guys that worked for me were awesome and did a great job," Barnes said. "There was great TFI between the 823rd and 556th on this. But, more importantly, we did all this for the names on the wall - they will never be forgotten."

The following Airmen were honored with an individual plaque as part of the memorial:
  • Airman 1st Class Lawrence Lewis, 823rd RED HORSE - May 12, 1967
  • Airman 1st Class Earl Reed, 823rd RED HORSE - May 27, 1968
  • Master Sgt. Harlen Houston, 556th RED HORSE - May 27, 1968
  • Staff Sgt. Frederick Kutzer, 823rd RED HORSE - March 26, 1969
  • Staff Sgt. Earl Smock, 823rd RED HORSE - July 10, 1968
  • Airman 1st Class Ken Griffith, 823rd RED HORSE - July 10, 1968
  • Senior Airman Steven Wright, 823rd RED HORSE - June 5, 1996
  • Senior Airman Ajnar Carter, 823rd RED HORSE - June 5, 1996
  • Tech. Sgt. Linda Sanchez, 823rd RED HORSE - March 30, 2012